Photo: FlugKerl2 · CC BY-SA 3.0North Laurel’s household incomes are higher than in 89% of U.S. towns
4.7% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 9.4% for Maryland as a whole. For jobs and income North Laurel is better than 98% of U.S. towns (A+); for walkability it is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns (B+). Only 3% work in North Laurel; the top destination outside it is Columbia (9%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
North Laurel and work: the main findings
North Laurel draws workers from far and wide
The 7,072 jobs in North Laurel are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 25%; the other 71% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Most jobs in North Laurel pay over $40,000 a year
74% of the jobs based in North Laurel pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
North Laurel makes and builds things
35% of the jobs based in North Laurel are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs North Laurel residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 8%. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: North Laurel’s grade explained
All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides North Laurel’s grade. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Laurel could be anywhere from A to A+.
Where North Laurel goes to work
Where North Laurel clocks in
9% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Goods jobs make up 35% of work in North Laurel
7,072 jobs are based in North Laurel.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Laurel, 2013 → 2023: 5,771 → 7,072. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs North Laurel’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in North Laurel: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 9,985 residents head out to work, 303 work right here, and 6,769 people come in from elsewhere.
About 22,000 people are in North Laurel on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.69 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting from North Laurel: about 28 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Laurel workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,063 commuters (the 23% who work from home are left out). Across Maryland: 80% drive alone, 5% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far it is to work from North Laurel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Driving is how North Laurel gets around
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 8.0% across Maryland.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 14,415 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 84% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 7% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 78% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.2% of North Laurel households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of North Laurel’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, North Laurel is 47th of 1,576 U.S. towns of 18,000 to 35,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Kingstowne VA | 18,360 | $152K | 4.4% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 46 | Zionsville IN | 33,624 | $172K | 3.1% | 2.8% | 9% | A+ |
| 47 | North Laurel MD | 25,563 | $123K | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| 48 | Geneva Township IL | 26,220 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.5% | 15% | A+ |
| 49 | Horsham Township PA | 27,882 | $122K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Arnold MD | 24,303 | $142K | 3.1% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| 56 | Pasadena MD | 34,309 | $130K | 5.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 91 | Crofton MD | 29,549 | $151K | 2.9% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,576 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of North Laurel, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
11% of North Laurel works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Laurel workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Laurel | – | A+ | B+ | 28 min | $122,949 |
| Savage | under 2% | A | B | 24 min | $116,895 |
| Laurel | 2% | A− | A | 31 min | $100,504 |
| Scaggsville | under 2% | A+ | B− | 30 min | $207,220 |
| Columbia | 9% | A | A | 28 min | $131,490 |
| Maryland City | under 2% | A− | A− | 30 min | $117,337 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Columbia. Darker towns draw more of North Laurel’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in North Laurel: questions
What is the median household income in North Laurel?
$122,949 (±$6,617) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Laurel?
4.7%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Laurel?
28 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Laurel work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Columbia (9%, 5 mi), Baltimore (9%, 18 mi), Washington (6%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Laurel walkable?
North Laurel is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 10.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Laurel without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 7% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Laurel, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Laurel
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.